{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,4]],"date-time":"2026-11-04T13:47:19Z","timestamp":1793800039094,"version":"4.6.1"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"American Medical Association (AMA)","issue":"9","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JAMA Netw Open"],"abstract":"Importance<\/jats:title>Trauma care, with its inherent complexity and unpredictability, substantially contributes to health care costs in the US. Understanding temporal trends and associated factors may inform targeted cost-mitigation strategies.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Objective<\/jats:title>To examine trends in trauma-related inpatient costs from 2012 to 2021 and identify patient and hospital factors associated with contemporary costs.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Design, Setting, and Participants<\/jats:title>This retrospective cohort study used data from the 2012-2021 National Inpatient Sample, which captures 97% of US hospitalizations. Hospitalization for traumatic injuries were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision<\/jats:italic> and International Statistical Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision<\/jats:italic> codes for external causes of injury. The data analysis was performed between September 2 and October 28, 2024.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Exposure<\/jats:title>External causes of traumatic injury.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Main Outcomes and Measures<\/jats:title>The primary outcome was temporal trends in annual and per-patient hospitalization costs. Additionally, risk-adjusted associations of patient and hospital characteristics with inpatient costs in 2021 were assessed.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Results<\/jats:title>A total of 18\u202f353\u202f296 hospitalizations were identified during the study period (median [IQR] patient age ranging from 69 [47-83] years in 2012 to 70 [52-82] years in 2021; proportion of women ranging from 53.2% in 2012 to 50.7% in 2021). When stratifying by mechanism of injury, motor vehicle collisions incurred the highest median inpatient costs ($15 412; IQR, $8718-$29 376), followed by falls ($11 769; IQR, $6930-$19 052), other blunt trauma ($9818; IQR, $5567-$17 488), and penetrating injury ($9669; IQR, $4948-$19 545). In 2021, falls accounted for the largest share of costs (70.0%), while patients aged 75 years or older represented the most costly group (34.8%) and Medicare incurred the highest costs among all payers (52.6%). Annual inpatient trauma care costs increased from $27 billion in 2012 to $42 billion in 2021. Median per-patient costs rose from $10 662 (IQR, $6141-$17930) to $14 124 (IQR, $8249-$23 491). Following risk adjustment (2021), motor vehicle collisions (\u03b2 = $4735.80; 95% CI, $4337.19-$5134.41 [reference, falls]), Black race (\u03b2 = $1134.86; 95% CI, $628.07-$1641.67 [reference, White race]), and care in the Pacific region (\u03b2 = $7763.20; 95% CI, $6176.90-$9350.31 [reference, New England]) were associated with greater hospitalization costs.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>Conclusions and Relevance<\/jats:title>This cohort study found that inpatient trauma costs nearly doubled between 2012 and 2021, with geriatric falls a major contributor. Geographic and demographic disparities underscore the need for targeted interventions. Addressing systemic inefficiencies and standardizing care practices are critical to curbing rising costs while ensuring equitable trauma care.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1001\/jamanetworkopen.2025.33204","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,23]],"date-time":"2025-09-23T15:00:19Z","timestamp":1758639619000},"page":"e2533204","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Inpatient Trauma Care Costs in the US From 2012 to 2021"],"prefix":"10.1001","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Troy N.","family":"Coaston","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nam Yong","family":"Cho","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los 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